It's A Bug Eat Bug World Out There, Princess
by The Imaginative Light
Summary: How, on earth, did the ants get stuck with freeloading grasshoppers and their malicious leader? There's an entire ordeal that happens far before the movie took place, long before Princess Dot was even born.
1. It starts

_**"It's a bug eat bug world out there, Princess. You know, one of those...Circle of Life kind of things."**_

_**"LISTEN! If you don't keep your end of the bargain, then I can't guarantee your safety and there are insects out there that will take advantage of you! Someone could get hurt."  
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	2. One Fallen Blossom

_**Here I go. I've got this story started! This is just an intro though. The chapters will grow longer. Also, you'll love my Hopper introduction ;)**_

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_**"It's A Bug Eat Bug World Out There, Princess"**_  
_A Bug's Life Tale_

_Spring_

What a wonderful time of the year it was, for ants especially. It was a kind time for rest after a full summer of hard labor; collecting food and preparing the tunnels of their hill for the winter months. All that nonstop work would be worth it as long as they do everything on time. But, the one flaw of Spring was the rain fall. Highly risky to be out during a storm, even the slightest, soft rain fall could be dangerous. When the stalks were picked bare and were on their way to grow more fruit and kernels for the coming year, it was always good to make sure every seedling was accounted for. Extra spoils meant no starvation, for sure.

A light wind picked up, russling the lush leaves of a quaint, blossom tree that over took one tiny, despondent island for itself. The last blossom on this tree was on the verge of letting go. As the wind picked up a little harder, forcing the tiny pink blossom to blow right off the thin branch. It began to float aimlessly in the air, twisting and gracefully spinning over a thinning brook. When it seemed to hit almost it the flowing water, the wind blew it higher, twisting the opposite direction and it began to descend upon the clover bed of the miniature island, getting itself stuck on top of the umbrella tops of the clover. It was as though that last blossom was ignored until the loud bray of a warning horn sounded through out the island. Soon after that loud boom of a sound passed, one breathless ant ran through the clover forest, seeming like he was being chased by something. He kept on running until he came upon a single kernel of grass seed, lying in the open near the edge of the island. Leaning lazily on it, the worker ant gathered his breath before hoisting the seed up to take it back to the hill before dark.

Seeds were treated like the purest gold. None should never be left to waste for each one was crucial to the harvesters; ants, birds and many bugs beyond the brook relied on grass and their seeds and fruit. Tired and worried to be caught outside after the sun disappears, the tuckered worker tried with all his strength to get this kernal back. Meanwhile, there was a small gathering before the hill where each and every collector were accounted for. So far only one wasn't present.

"Atta!" the Queen's right hand councilman, Thorny called out. "Has anyone seen the Princess anywhere?"

There were exhausted mumblings among the crowd. The Queen wasn't at all that worried about the one missing worker, but what of her daughter, Atta? That girl never followed through with her promises. She was the Princess of this colony and her disobedience would no longer be tolerated. As the colony was getting ready to turn in, said Princess came upon the edge of the island, desperate to learn how to fly. Also, one of the little workers in training went missing since dawn.

"Come on!" little Atta strained to hover, but she kept falling. "Come on! Fly!" she screeched, but she ended up on the dirt again. "Ugh...man!" she groaned, unknowing that a little blue ant was watching her from atop a blade of grass.

Unfortunately, he slipped and fell down long, landing loudly. "Owwww..." Atta heard a loud groan behind her and she knew who it was.

"Hey!" she scolded.

"S-sorry..." the boy gulped as he got up.

"I've told you to stop following me!" she coolly scorned, resting both hands on her waist.

"S-s-sorry-" he stuttered again, rubbing his sore antennae.

"And stop saying that! It's getting annoying."

"Sor-" the young blue ant stopped himself. "I mean...yes, Your Highness."

"What do you want?" the Princess glared.

"I...uh...I was just wondering when...you were going back. Be-because, I...I wanna show you something."

Atta sighed, irritated. This boy's name was Flik. Quite an obvious name for an ant who was always shunned away by the other kids. He was always by himself, stalking her and being so devastatingly shy. But he had a wondrous talent. Unlike a regular ant, he had a love of inventing things. He would create all this weird stuff that he believed that would make life less difficult. Most of the time, his creations were usually too delicate to use and usually fell apart instantly, but Flik never gave up.

* * *

_**Atta's a bit of a brat, huh? And Flik is so cute when he's shy. The both of them are still kids in here. I love the idea. ^^**_


	3. Meet Bud

_**So, you're excited about this one, huh? Well, let's get crackin'!**_

* * *

A warm wind picked up suddenly, softly blowing and bending the clover stalks as it passed. Atta, who was not in the mood of following this geek, followed Flik, who was so excited that he had almost forgotten about the grouchy Princess.

"Would you wait?" she snapped. "I'm not a grasshopper!"

Flik realized his mistake and hastily skid to a stop. "_Oh_, sorry! So sorry!" he breathed heavily, embarrassed for being so absent-minded. "I'm just...so excited, ya know. Wait 'til you see!" he said as he ran back to her and took her hand to drag her the rest of the way. "Hey, hey, hey!" was all she could say as a protest.

When he finally got to the desired destination, he had her stop in her tracks behind him. Once they came through the grass, a strange contraption of sorts stood high above them. It was hand made with dry grass, fallen leaves and tree twigs and it towered over the clovers like a weed. Atta skeptically crossed her arms.

"You made a weed?" was all she said about his creation.

"It took me a whole month to get it right." he blushed.

"What is it, exactly? I mean, does it _do_ anything?"

The young inventor got restless and ran to the base of it and climbed up. "This is gunna be good, wait until you see, Your Highness! This'll definately help with the food gathering!"

"I don't know, Flik. It looks...wierd. Won't it fall?"

"No. _Uh_, well, I hope not-" he said down to her as he climbed up upon the main platform of this long crane-like contraption. "I'd made sure. Come on up!"

"No." she cautiously answered, scared that this _thing_ would fall on her.

"What's wrong?" the blue ant innocently asked, sounding slightly hurt.

"Well," she tried to put her words together wisely, just so not to harm the boy's feelings. "Everything...that you've made...never. Really. Lasted that long."

Both of Flik's antennae sagged and his blue eyes got glassy for a moment. "I know. I understand, but...I promise you, Princess. Nothing's gunna happen." he brightened, sure of it this time. Atta gazed up at her close friend thinking of how truly different he was from the rest of the boys, whose pleasures were bullying her. But he was _nothing_ like them. Most times he was funny and kind, but he was very, very shy and she liked him for that. Before she stepped forward to climb up to him, a stone was thrown at the top of the invention, snapping the crane in half. Flik didn't see it coming. All he heard at first was the Princess screaming his name.

"FLIK!" Atta gasped in terror.

* * *

"This is the last straw, Your Highness. We need to find those kids. Dusk is nearly here." Thorny grouchily informed, growing thoroughly impatient.

"Thorny, just...quiet down. They know better than to stay out late. It's just absurd."

"I aint' takin' chances. They need to get back."

* * *

Flik had to jump off before the whole thing came toppling down. Soon after, it became nothing more than a pile of twigs. Worried, Atta ran out to him as he tried to get up.

"Flik! Flik? Are you okay?"

"I,_ uh_, yeah. I'm fine...I think." he said as he rubbed his head.

Suddenly, there was an uproar of laughter coming from further down. It was a group of boys, who were holding small rocks, tossing them into the air, playfully and tauntingly at Flik and Atta.

"Ha ha! It all fell down! Look at 'im shakin'!" teased one kid at the front of the bullies. His name was Bud and his fellows behind were just following him for the thrill, preferring not to stand up to him due to his tormenting teasing. Atta hated them all and they made sure she got her daily humiliation. The reason for all of this was never figured out.

"It's not funny!" Atta yelled as she helped Flik up after his leap. "He could've gotten hurt!"

"So? Not my problem."

"You're mean."

"Duh!"

Flik loathed this kid and he was one who never thought twice about being hateful toward anyone.

"Hey, Flicko!" Bud turned his attention to Flik, aiming to throw his rock at him. "Wanna play?"

"Stop it, Bud." Flik darkened, not scared at all. "L-l-leave us alone." he tried as he could to sound brave, but his voice stuck.

"Not scared, huh? Come on, what's the fun in that?"

"I said stop it." Flik glowered, having Atta behind him, protectively as it were.

"Oooh..." cooed the groupies behind Bud and he just gleamed at them.

"Aw, ain't it cute? He's protecting the li'l Princess." Bud lunged his rock at Flik.

Flik shut his eyes tight before the sharp voices of the colony's Council came close and Bud recoiled, dropping his rock to the ground, as did the others.

"Hey, all of you!" Thorny scorned all of them. "Do any of you know what could happen if you were all caught out here after dark, huh?"

"Don't any of you do this again, especially you, young lady." the Queen scolded at her daughter who stood next to Flik and Bud. "For a Queen in training, I had never thought you would pull such a risky move."

"I'm sorry, Mother. I..."

"Not now, Atta. Come, all of you. You had your guardians worried sick. Return to anthill. Now."

Every child present, even Flik and Atta, bowed respectfully to their protective Queen before walking along with the Council. Flik, however, felt responsible for Atta getting in trouble. Perhaps everyone was right; his inventions were nothing but trouble.

* * *

_**Poor Flik. :(**_


	4. The Cats

Why did everything have to blow up in his face? He could just keep on trying and still, nothing would never work out the way he planned. How could this day get any worse? First, he lured Atta too far from the Council and then he got her in trouble by the Queen, who was also her mother. He couldn't express the embarrassment he was enduring.

That evening, the colony was at rest until the break of dawn and Flik sat on his own in a corner of the den. The only lights were the small mushroom laterns that kept the tunnels safer to trek through at night. Flik was so unsettled that he couldn't sleep, but soon the late hours disagreed with him and he slowly dozed off.

_The rainfall became too deadly hard and most of the workers couldn't make it to the Hill in time. One female ant had a bundle held in one arm that happened to be a young one. She ducked underneath a thick blade of grass, protecting the boy with all her might as the great weights of water plummeted and rammed onto the moistening soil. Thunder quaked the earth and the rain got worse. Knowing that she had no choice, the female discovered a crack beneath a fallen leaf and placed her son inside. The boy gazed up at her, frightened and she did the same frightened glance without saying a single word. A loud crack of thunder blinded both of them-_

Flik awoke with a jump! Startled from that rush, the young worker whimpered as he curled against the dirt tunnel wall. His teary daze was disturbed by one voice he really wished to never hear again.

"Aww, the baby's cryin'." Bud said as he snuck up to Flik.

Flik wiped the fallen tears off his face and glared daggers at the bully. He then stood up, prepared for anything at this point.

"What are ya doin'?" Bud chuckled at Flik's reaction.

"I know why you're here. Th-th-that's all. Wha-what do you want?"

"Nothin'. I just wanted to see how, ya know. How embarrassed you were when you got the Princess in trouble."

That was it? That was the reason why he came all the way down here, just to brag. Figures.

"Man, you should've seen how mad they were. You're lucky to still be around."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that most ants who get the royals in danger usually get banished."

Flik's blue eyes darkened deeply.

"That's not true."

"Just sayin'."

Flik's heart sunk and all he did was sit back down. "Just...just leave me alone."

Suddenly one of the exhausted workers woke up and glowered at the two. "Hey, you, pests! Quiet down. Most of us are trying to get some sleep."

Flik didn't say anything to answer. Bud held back his cruel laughter. "Okay. Have it your way." he said finally before taking his leave. Once he ran out of the den, Flik began to tear up. Soon after that, another child entered the den who happened to be Atta, herself. Pulling, yet, another risky move, she slipped away from the Queen's chambers just to go and comfort her closest friend. Flik hardly paid attention when she snuck right up to his corner.

"A-_uh_...Atta. Wha-what are you doing down here? You'll get into more trouble-"

"So? I don't care. What more could they do to me? I'm here for you, dummy." she smiled at him. "Are you feeling all right? You look awful."

Flik recalled a glimpse of his dreaded nightmare and merely shook it off. "I'm...I'm sorry for-for what happened today. I wasn't thinking, I-"

"Shut up." she laughed. "I actually had fun with you today."

"You did?" Flik asked as his antennae perked up.

"Yeah."

At the entrance of the den, a small voice whispered out urgently. "Pssst! Princess! You have to get back."

"All right!" Atta whispered back. "Just give me a second." she hissed before turning back to Flik. "I gotta go."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I hope. If Mom lets me." she nervously laughed, making him feel a lot better. "um...bye." she said before she quietly dashed to the little girl waiting for her. Flik dreamily smiled at her as she left. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day, if only Bud would butt out for once.

* * *

The days were usually hot all over the hillside. The usually lush fields that spread all across the scape, amazingly, had an end. At the foot of the meadows was the beginning of a peircingly hot desert that hardly had that much life. Cacti grew along the sides of the sand dunes beside the unused highway that side winded all the way down to the mountains far off beyond the horizon. The season had reached the end of the indian summers so the days weren't so overbearing as the passed two months of painful heat. A trailor park was nearby, just two miles away from this thick cactus forest named "The Cats" by the local locusts who resided there. _Cats_ was given to the spiked fortress for ironic reasons; since a felines' claw was similar to the swords that stabbed out of the green, moist plant and felines, especially feral ones, came by on the prowl from the trailor park down the way.

Cats weren't the problem. _Cats_ was where groups upon groups of grasshoppers stayed and made themselves at home. These grasshoppers weren't very hospitable. They ate like pigs and they just lounged about as though they owned the place. A discarded sombrero hat remained at the base of one of the _Cats'_ cacti and was never moved for a year so far. That was where the Grasshoppers and their gruff, controlling leader stayed, who was named Hopper. As ordinary as that name sounded to those who heard, they cowered at it and flinched. Hopper was a menace. A selfish, proud menace who loved to have _Cats_ as his controlled home. No one, no insect alive was to even speak to him or the members of his group, or even touch what was his. Hopper made sure that any bug who would defy them would suffer for it. The punishments? Well, the punishments were servitude for a certain amount of time, up to a week or a month at most or sometimes for a whole lifetime. Hopper was in complete control and whoever didn't do his favors correctly answered to him, face to face.

One grasshopper whose name was Scrap didn't return with what Hopper wanted him to get which were only three beads of water and he only returned with two. Living in the desert meant serious lack of moisture, so water was very precious. Once this grasshopper got back to the Sombrero Club of _Cats_, everyone present passed on threatening scorns and snarls at him, knowing that he had made a drastic mistake. This locust was a new member and his memory wasn't very sharp and he could have sworn that he had to find two beads of fresh water, not three. To his horror, a much greater grasshopper flew out of nowhere and landed loudly and forcefully before him. This menacing figure towered above him and bored his sharp brown eyes on Scrap. It was Hopper himself, who towered above him and he skeptically studied the two beads of water.

"Well," he said in a deep sure voice, letting one of his antennae twitch. "You got back pretty fast. Well, well, what have you got here?" he sarcastically softened and peered close at beads

Scrap shook and shivered before his leader. "I've got what you asked for...sir..."

"Hmm..." Hopper took one of the beads and then he glared back at Scrap with growing disapproval. "No." he plainly said, dropping the clear bead to the ground, wasting it. "This isn't what I asked for."

Scrap didn't know what to say that would satisfy Hopper's disdain who lowered down to Scrap's level. "I had asked for _three_ beads of water. You only brought me _two_."

Scrap's exoskeleton went bright pale for he could sense the anger hiding beneath Hopper's soft, calm tone. He was in for it now.

"Well, um..."

"Listen to my words; I had asked you to fetch me _three_. Not two! To me, you're just ignorent and stupid. It wasn't what I asked for, it wasn't what I wanted and that kind of ignorance isn't going to work around here!"

"I...I, ___uh_, I thought-"

"You thought?" Hopper sharpened in less than a second. "He _thought_ he could bring just two." he spoke aloud to the others standing around. "Okay, Scraps. Shut up, listen and listen good. "

Suddenly Hopper closed in on the rookie, looking deathly angry.

"Yeah, you're new here and you don't quite know how things run on my turf so pay attention. You are here for me. Got it, genius? What you think doesn't matter and what you _say_ doesn't matter. I've hired you to satisfy _my_ interests. You. Are. Nothing."

Scrap swallowed hard and Hopper straightened up casually, still having that nasty sarcasm dripping from his dry gaze.

"I'm not mad. I'm just trying to help." Hopper brightened his voice as if he was lecturing, but, unfortunately, to Scrap's dismay, it was all for show. "I want you to do well in this gang, I really do. Look at Rex here," he motioned to a lazy grasshopper sitting in the hammock closest to them. "He just started a week ago and he's slacking off like a dumb fly." his voice violently sharpened. "Pfft...Rex. What kind of name is that for a henchman? It sounds like a pet's name. So if 'pet boy' here can hold down a job, so can you. If I didn't know any better, you have nothing to worry about!"

With that said, Hopper swung a claw at Scrap, slapping the other bead of water out of his hold, wasting it entirely. Hopper turned away glaring at everyone around to get on what they were doing and Scrap; he was shaking after seeing how the leader truly was.

* * *

_**That was a kindly intro, was it? Just to tell you, Hopper doesn't yet have his infamous scarred eye. That 'bird attack' was quite recent in the film so this is taking place long before the film. Just sayin' :P**_


	5. Forage Training

**_Here I am again. Posting again. :D_**

* * *

The morning came with heavy fog, so it was cold, since the sun's ray was blocked out by the thickness of moist clouds. It was a lot harder working in such bleakness; it was so difficult to see for a ton of the workers. Flik was launched into one of the younger forager groups, who were hand picked by the Queen to search the inland of the island. The groups who searched the outer edges and the beaches were the professional collectors. He didn't really enjoy his training very much because doing it all of every day got old. It was truly, very boring, especially when he was in a mood as bleak as the fog.

_"Flik!" called his mother, Kara, smiling as she stood atop the hill in the clover wood. Her only son soon joined her, excited. They were going on a forage early that morning and they were the first find something miraculous. She then pointed to the giant fruit that had been dropped by a bird. It was a rare fruit, indeed and it glowed like the sun. The auroma of it was breathtakingly wonderful._

_"Whoa!" the small ant gaped. "What-what-what is it?" he stuttered._

_"I have no clue." she laughed. "But that has to be the biggest berry I've ever seen."_

_The female worker and her young one both ran down with high spirits to that glowing treasure._

Suddenly, Flik was shoved awake, much to his dislike.

"Come on, kid. Let's get going." hissed a teenage worker beside him, who gave him a sharp shove.

"I'm up." Flik groaned, slowly standing after another almost sleepless night.

* * *

The day was another hot one and it was, yet, another full day of heavy foraging. For the workers in training, they were lead into the clover forest to develop their hoisting skills. It was crucial for workers to be quick to lift seeds just in case of any emergency. Each young ant was assigned to carry seeds, according to their sizes, across the assigned range in a certain amount of time. The only trainee who was struggling intensely was Flik, whose seed kept sliding out of his grip. The female instructer kept an eye on the poor boy and finally went up to him.

"Come on, honey. You can do this. I'm sure you can." She solemnly egged him on, looking genuinely worried for him.

"I'm – I'm trying." Flik voice shook.

"Flik, you know I want you to graduate with the next class this summer. I don't want to keep you on the same level, season after season. Just pick up the seed and jog. There's not much to it."

Flik stayed silent and tried again to hoist the seed over his shoulder. He staggered for a moment, but recovered. He, then, focused all of his attention on the opposite side of forest where the others were running to. But the kernal was too heavy for him and it kept slipping out of his grip. Suddenly, to his dismay, the call horn was sound and he looked to realize that he had failed the test, once again. Depressed, he slumped to the dirt next to the kernal and merely looked on in humiliation. The other children were hopping about each other, high fiving and cheering. All but poor Flik…the colony's runt. What was wrong with him? Ever since his mother vanished everything began to fall apart. Bud's taunting laugh brought Flik back to the present.

"Ha HAH! LOSER!" the bully cackled, kicking a rock at Flik's direction. Luckily, Flik leaped away from the rock.

"Why do you even bother? You're a runt!" Bud hissed at him.

Flik just glared at Bud, making him laugh. Once Bud and the other young ants ran off to play, the female instructer walked up to him with pity in her eyes. Flik gazed up at her, almost thinking that she was someone else, but no.

"Flik. I know you are trying hard, but maybe it's best if you train for the tunneling teams. Foraging is a terrible chore during the summer and…"

"But, the tunnels are so boring."

"But it's not as difficult as climbing stalks."

Flik's antennae's sagged as he trailed his gaze to the ground. She placed a comforting hand on his back and smiled sweetly at him.

"Come on, let's get back to the hill."

* * *

Meanwhile, there was a matter being resolved in the court tunnels. There was a crisis for the colony and it wasn't food shortage, nor was it water. There was an infestation happening across the river within a rotting tree near banks.

"Termites?" Thorny barked. "How could there be termites?"

"They can live anywhere where there's wood, not too mention our dear tree." the Queen fearfully mentioned.

Little Atta was sitting down on the stone on the sidelines looking on in shock. Her mother enforced her to attend the council meetings since she must learn for herself the ways of how the council handled problems. She didn't mention that she disliked these meetings most of the time.

"We can't fight them off, Your Highness. These insects produce something that can kill off anything."

"If we can create an allience?" Cornilius mentioned.

"With _them_? With those monsters? You're crazy, old man!"

"It is a chance, Thorny." the Queen calmed the thrashing councilman. "Perhaps it is the right way as of late. We, as a colony, we are not enemies of those outside of us. We only harvest. We never bring conflict to any creature. The termites are no exception on this matter. Unless, it is they who attack us."

Atta swallowed hard and ran out of the court and into the busy tunnels in search for her closest friend.


End file.
